This month, ISN (the International Society of Nephrology), IPNA (the International Pediatric Nephrology Association), ISPD (the International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis) and SKCF (the Sustainable Kidney Care Foundation) kicked off a sustainable program for prevention and treatment of acute kidney injury in Africa and Asia. This collaborative program will develop specialized hospital centers with dialysis facilities in both regions. Five years of funding has been given by a charitable foundation (2012-2016) and is expected to lead to further developments of similar centers in these regions.
Specialized hospitals with dialysis facilities are crucial in the developing world to save the lives of children and young adults, who continue to die in large numbers in the developing world as a direct result of acute kidney injury (AKI). AKI can be prevented in many cases – often by simple treatments (e.g. fluid and electrolyte administration) or prompt treatment of infection. But, some people whose kidneys fail will still require specialist care in hospitals, which may include dialysis treatment. The ideal type of dialysis in this setting is peritoneal dialysis [PD] because of its technical simplicity.
The partnership will develop a program suited to low-resource health settings, including the development of specialized hospital centers for care of AKI including facilities for acute PD. The program will also focus on training and education in the community to improve awareness and equip local health practitioners for prevention as well as identification of cases needing hospital care.
The project will build on the success over recent years at the pilot site, the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (KCMC), in Moshi, Tanzania. Other centers in sub-Saharan Africa and South East Asia will be selected soon.
Last modified on Thursday, 13 September 2012 18:10